Week 23 of 32 • Page 3
Foundations of the Revolutionary Government
1777: Lancaster and York As the war raged on, the Congress briefly returned to Philadelphia from March 4, 1777, to Sep. 18, 1777. Once again, however, Philadelphia proved to be too dangerous for the delegates to conduct their business in. They were forced to relocate once more. On Sep. 27, 1777, the Congress met in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and then moved its meetings to York from Sep. 30, 1777, to June 27, 1778. 1778-1781: Return to Philadelphia At last, in July 1778, the British Army was forced to abandon its occupation of Philadelphia, making it safe for Patriots again. Congress returned once more to Philadelphia, where it remained till the end of the war. Despite the challenges that came with moving locations amid the dangers of ongoing warfare, the Continental Congress persisted. It continued to successfully work together to make decisions that supported and strengthened the new nation.
In 1776, a year after the first battles between American colonists and British soldiers, the Committee of Five was created. Its aim was to write the Declaration of Independence. Knowing that a war with Britain was on the horizon, the Founders had spent the previous year reviewing and discussing each colony’s charter. Each colony would become a state after breaking with Great Britain. Each colony would also need to be able to govern and provide for itself if a war broke out. Shortly after the Committee of Five was created, another committee of 13 representatives, one from each colony, was appointed to draft a constitution for the United States. A governmental constitution would be needed once the colonies became a new nation. This first constitution was called the Articles of Confederation. Throughout the Revolutionary War, the colonies operated under a temporary revolutionary government. It was only at the end of the war that the Articles of Confederation were finally ratified by all 13 colonies. The Continental Congress had been the governing body during the Revolutionary War. When forming the Articles of Confederation, Congress looked at a confederation organization. Strength and power were what the members of Congress wanted in a government for the new nation. Congress created the Articles of Confederation to provide the written rules for how the states’ “league of friendship” would be organized. The new government was fearful of a monarchy, where authority is centered on one person. The founders of the new government wanted to model
the government after principles that proved successful in the Iroquois Confederacy. The Iroquois Confederacy model spread authority over its members. The Articles of Confederation had no strong central leader. Congress was the governing body. The Articles of Confederation gave rules for what actions Congress could take to govern the country. These rules were created with each state’s constitution in mind and gave most of the governing power to the individual states. Over the next few years, the operation of government under the Articles of
Confederation proved to be ineffective. With power divided over many states, there was confusion, competition, and conflict.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Articles of Confederation
Civilian Control of the Military
Having sufficient national security while at the same time ensuring that armed forces won’t undermine freedom and democracy has been a tricky balancing act throughout America’s history. The purchase of officer commissions was a common practice in the British military during the 18th and 19th centuries. This meant that men who were wealthy,
owned a lot of land, or who had influential relatives of noble or wealthy standing could buy their way into the higher ranks of the military. Common people had almost no hope of being elevated to higher-ranking positions. The power to make major military decisions rested in the hands of these higher-ranking officers. This meant that the power and command of the British military remained in the hands of the rich and privileged. Another problem with creating an army was how to ensure that the army would have enough power to be successful without abusing its power and overthrowing the government. The members of the Continental Congress wanted to prevent these problems and do away with the old military systems. They wanted to ensure that civilian government leaders had authority over the military. This would, in turn, ensure that the people had a say in how the military should operate. The Congress came up with the idea for a civilian-controlled army that had a similar system of checks and balances that the future U.S. government would have. Civilian control of the military meant that control of
the armed forces would be in the hands of civilian government leaders elected by the people. To lead the army, a civilian was elected to be the commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief had many responsibilities, such as commissioning other military leaders and reporting regularly to Congress. The commander-in- chief could not make decisions or accept terms of peace or war without Congress’s approval first. General George Washington was elected to be the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. One example of how this power worked was when Washington was approached by British officers with offers of peace. Washington honored the balance of power between his position and Congress. Rather than accept or deny their offers of peace, Washington told the British officers that they had to speak with Congress if they wanted to make negotiations with the United States. This is a good example of a civilian-controlled army. Washington led the troops into battle, but Congress made decisions on behalf of the nation.
George Washington , c. 1787-1790
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